For 2023, Honda has toned down the Civic Type R’s styling. But the automaker promises it has turned up the car’s performance.
Honda says that the 2023 Civic Type R will be the most powerful Type R the company has ever built. But if you want to know exactly how much power and torque that means, you’re going to have to wait.
Honda will show you the new car’s more sedate looks and talk about the interior and tech, but the brand will not tell you how many horses the ultimate Civic will have.
Latest in Long Line of Hot Civics
The 2023 Honda Civic Type R breaks hugely away from the Hot Import Nights look of the previous-generation car. But really, it’s more of a return to form for the model. Because going all the way back to the original Civic Type R of 1998, this wasn’t a flashy front-drive monster.
That original Type R, sold in Japan (no Type R models were sold in the U.S. before 2017), looked like any other Civic hatchback with the addition of a small rear spoiler. And, of course, a bright-red interior.
Through four more generations of the Type R, which American enthusiasts could pine for but not touch, the car grew slightly more tuner-style in its looks. But it was all functional, including slightly wider wheel arches to fit wider tires and wheels.
Exterior Changes Important but Subtle
![2023 Honda Civic Type R 2023 Honda Civic Type R](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/07/ctr-3.jpg)
2.0L Turbo Gets Upgrades
![2023 Honda Civic Type R 2023 Honda Civic Type R](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/07/ctr-5.jpg)
Bright-Red Interior Lives, Gets a New Hue
![2023 Honda Civic Type R 2023 Honda Civic Type R](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/07/ctr-6.jpg)
![2023 Honda Civic Type R 2023 Honda Civic Type R](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/07/ctr-10.jpg)